Sara Beaudry, the executive director of Intown Manchester, says this year’s Christmas parade, happening Saturday, Dec. 5, at 4 p.m., will be as big as ever.

“I believe it’s the largest parade in the state,” Beaudry said.

Parade floats and marchers will make their way down Elm Street, starting at the Brady Sullivan Tower on north Elm Street and ending at Veterans Park. The theme of the parade this year is the Magic of Christmas.

Community businesses will create floats, Beaudry said, and there will be awards for the best business float, best nonprofit float and best overall.

New this year, a grand marshal was chosen to ride in the front of the parade.

“We are very excited that this year we have a grand marshal and that is going to be Chief Willard — Nick Willard — of the Manchester Police Department,” Beaudry said.

Also marching in the parade will be the FIRST robotics team 501, the Power Knights, princesses from the Party Palace, the New England Brotherhood of Pirates, the baton-twirling Rhythmic Revolution, the Muchachos Drum and Bugle Corps, and various Scout troops and high school sports teams.

“We have the ladies from Jazzercise, and they’re hilarious,” Beaudry said. “They wear their Santa Claus hats and they literally don’t stop dancing from the time they arrive to the very end of the parade — and they may still be dancing after that.”

As is tradition for the parade, the Manchester Fire Department will be conducting their Boot Drive for the Salvation Army Santa Fund and the USPS National Association of Letter Carriers will be collecting letters to Santa from the crowd.

“We’ve kind of got a little bit of everything in this parade,” Beaudry said.

She encourages folks to be set up to watch the full parade by 3 p.m. and to grab a hot chocolate or a snack at one of the nearby establishments.